This blog is about my exposure to the Spanish language and various Latin-American cultures through travel and research; particularly Black Latino (Afro-Latino) cultures.

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Monday, July 23, 2012

Blacks in Uruguay

When we think of
nations that contain members of the African diaspora, we think of the United States, Jamaica, Haiti, but we seldom think of the
South American nation of Uruguay, where many, including me, thought of
it as being a white nation.

Yet Uruguay, like the rest of the nations in the
Western world, enslaved Africans who eventually ended up playing
important roles in Uruguay's life and culture, which includes the
second-largest
black press in Latin America, a black political party,and volumes of other social and civic groups.Today,
according to the Bradt Uruguay Travel Guide, many of the black
Uruguayans have assimilated into the rest of society. Black Uruguayans contributed greatly to Uruguay's economy, society, and culture primarily through slave labor. In addition, black Uruguayans were the soldiers who fought and died for their country's independence from Spanish rule,
and later defending against aggressive foreign forces wanting to invade
the country during the early parts of the 19th century. The music,
literature, and art of black
Uruguayans has been enriching, enlightening, and entertaining since
colonial times, and loved by all citizens, regardless of color.

A street in the historical black community of Barrio Sur of Montevideo, Uruguay,

When
slavery in Uruguay ended, Barrio Sur, a community in Montevideo, the
nation's capital, became a predominantly black community where a revival
took place of some of the rituals of their African heritage, which
eventually evolved into what is known as Candombé.On the 6th of January they held a special ritual
parade called "Llamad de Los Reyes" giving honor to the eldest members
of the community.

By the year 1800, the black population of
Uruguay was estimated at 25%, and candombe's origins had evolved from
the early19th century
being perceived as a threat to upper class whites who sought to ban it.

The
roots of Candombé can be traced to the Bantu people of Africa. As time
passed, blacks gave up these rituals to focus on assimilating with the
rest of Uruguay's population. However in
more recent times, these rituals have, once again, been revived and
became an integral part of Uruguayan culture. Presently, Barrio Sur is still connected with Uruguay's black culture and Candombe is regurarly played on weekends.

The roots of Candombé can be traced to the Bantu people of Africa

The
development of Uruguay's black journalism was partly the result of the
country’s economic and educational achievements during
the 17th and 18th centuries. Because of meat and wool exports, Uruguay became one of South America’s most successful national economies, along withhaving the highest rates of literacy and
newspaper readership.

As in other Latin American countries, Uruguay had its share of black civic and
political uprisings, one being an organization called Mundo Afro (Black World). In 1980, a Uruguayan
writer reported that in the downtown commercial districts of Montevideo,
there are less than 10 black employees.Mundo Afro was able to successfully get the Uruguayan government to gather racial data, which as
a result of these facts, and other political pressures, the Uruguayan
government committed itself to addressing racial discrimination and
inequality.

In 2003 the
municipal government of Montevideo created an advisory unit for
Afro-Descendent Rights; and then President Tabaré Vázquez
(2005-10) appointed a presidential advisor for Afro-Uruguayan affairs
and created programs for Afro-Uruguayan women and Afro-Uruguayan youth
in the Ministry of Social Development.

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Bill Smith Jr

billsmih510@gmail.com — Bill is a certified professional résumé writer born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and raised in New York City, the USA near Spanish Harlem where he began teaching himself Spanish at age 10. His late Mexican-American friend, Yolanda Guttierrez, strongly encouraged Bill to learn the culture if he is going to speak the language. Bill took her advice to heart by exploring black cultures in Latin America through research and travel, thus his blog, African American-Latino World.